Ovidio Guzman Lopez, the son of notorious drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, arrived in the United States on Friday after being extradited from Mexico to face drug trafficking charges. The 33-year-old was charged in April, along with two dozen others, as part of a crackdown targeting a global drug trafficking network associated with Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel. The charges allege the cartel used precursor chemicals from China to contribute to the fentanyl crisis in the U.S.
Guzman Lopez was transported to Chicago but is also facing charges in New York and Washington, D.C. Attorney General Merrick Garland emphasized the extradition as a result of extensive law enforcement cooperation between the U.S. and Mexico. He stated that it marks another significant step in the Justice Department’s campaign against all facets of the cartel’s operations.
Garland further acknowledged the courage exhibited by law enforcement personnel from both countries, many of whom have made ultimate sacrifices in the pursuit of justice. He affirmed the Justice Department’s commitment to holding those responsible for exacerbating the opioid epidemic accountable.
Guzman Lopez had been sought by U.S. authorities since 2019 and was apprehended by Mexican armed forces in January near Culiacán, the capital of the Mexican state of Sinaloa. His capture followed an extensive six-month operation. In 2019, he was briefly detained in Culiacán, leading to a violent showdown between cartel members and Mexican armed forces.
His father, El Chapo, is currently serving a life sentence in the U.S. after being convicted in 2019 on various charges, including drug trafficking and murder conspiracy. El Chapo’s wife, Emma Coronel Aispuro, was recently released from a California halfway house after being convicted of aiding the Mexican drug cartel he led. Aispuro received a 36-month federal prison sentence and was ordered to pay substantial fines for money laundering and drug distribution conspiracies.